Scottish Highlands

The next day December 1 we took a twelve hour coach trip from Edinburgh, north to Loch Ness and on to Inverness, before heading home again down Scotland's spine. A long, long day but a very memorable exerience. The stories of the early Scots and how they lived and died I found really interesting. I thought I was of a Highland clan but no! Turns out we Crawfords are of Lowland Scottish stock. But being amongst the Highlands was like being in the Mackenzie Basin of our South Island only not as high. Bleak, colourful, rich in human history, desolate and uncompromising. This is the Highlands of Scotland. From the complete Stirling Castle just north of Edinburgh to the crumbling ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, via the shrouded peak of Ben Nevis, our day took in a 400 mile route. Castles and Lochs; glens and invers; MacDonalds and Campbells; Bag pipes and Ceilidh; mountains and crofters; sheep and highland cows. These are the images of the Scottish Highlands - and no Loch Ness Monster to be seen! (We WERE looking! Wouldn't you for a £1.0 million reward?)